The recent demolition of Stollerys at 1 Bloor St. W. is only the latest example of Toronto’s inability to preserve its architectural heritage. If we don’t act soon to strengthen preservation policies, we are in danger of losing many more significant buildings, including several in our midtown community.
That’s why I moved a motion — entitled Catching Up with the Past: Improving the City’s Heritage Preservation Framework — to ask Toronto’s planning staff to create a new heritage classification category that is more proactive.
Currently, Toronto's heritage inventory only includes those properties that have been officially listed or designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. To gain heritage status, a property must go through a lengthy process including a full evaluation and completed staff research report, followed by consideration by both community council and city council. This process can routinely take up to eight months or more.
Although staff is performing their due diligence to determine whether or not a building is worth preserving, there is no protection from demolition.
My motion asks staff to look at adding a new category of “identified” properties. If implemented, this new category will allow the city to protect properties that have been put forward by local residents as being architecturally or historically significant but not yet evaluated, to ensure that no historic building already brought to the attention of city staff can be demolished without consideration.
This additional protection must be put in place as soon as possible.
